Most killers know their victims, but there has been an alarming rise in 'stranger murders', and these are the shocking stories of people killed by someone they had never previously met.
Sean McKay, 23, is randomly stabbed in Scotland in 2021 by violent criminal Gary McVey. After killing him, McVey bragged to a friend about the act with no remorse.
In December 2004, security guard Michelle Gunshon vanishes after a shift in Birmingham. Years later, DNA ties violent offender Martin Stafford to her murder, though her body is still missing.
Breck Bednar, 14, is murdered in 2014 by online predator Lewis Daynes, who groomed him via a gaming group. Breck's family believed the friendship had ended, until it was too late.
In 2004, 11-year-old Carlie Brucia is kidnapped while walking home in Sarasota, Florida. Her body is found days later. The killer is Joseph Smith, a released convict on probation.
After being followed from a store, the Petit family are targeted in a brutal home invasion. Three family members are murdered, and only Dr. William Petit survives the horrifying ordeal.
In Overland Park, Kansas, 18-year-old Kelsey Smith vanishes after a routine shopping trip. Her body is later found, revealing a horrific case of stranger violence by Edwin Hall.
19-year-old Mandy Stavik vanishes while jogging in 1989. Her body is found in the Nooksack River. In 2013, DNA leads to Timothy Bass, a local with a dark secret.
Real estate agent Beverly Carter vanishes after a showing in 2014. Her body is found days later. Police track and arrest Arron Lewis, a career criminal with violent motives.
24-year-old Philip Walsted is brutally murdered in 2002 by neo-Nazi David Higdon in Tucson. Attacked with a bat over 50 times, his killing is revealed to be a hate crime.
On Independence Day 2017, Jorge Rodriguez is shot in his car while shopping in Pasco, Washington. He dies from his injuries. Teen Pedro Cardenas is arrested two days later for the killing